We can all pick those elite names early in the draft to get off to a solid start. However, the key to “winning” your draft is identifying those late round “sleepers” who can back up the stars and propel you to your league title!
As part of our FREE draft kit, we’ve identified a sleeper from each Premier League team to target in your draft! We conclude our four part series covering all those sneaky sleepers from Southampton down to Wolves…
Southampton – Nathan Tella (Midfielder)
Southampton youngster Nathan Tella is definitely a wait and see pick. After showing flashes of promise last season, many think this could be the year that Tella breaks through and establishes himself as a first team regular. If he does, he will surely come straight in as a decent fantasy asset.
The midfielder possesses the pace and dribbling skills to pick up a few ghost points while a goal and two assists despite starting only seven games is a good indication that he will be in and amongst the action. You should be able to get the likes of Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong fairly late in drafts too. In fact, the whole Southampton squad should be available to punt on bar Fantrax favourites James Ward Prowse and Danny Ings.
Tottenham Hostpurs – Matt Doherty (Defender)
Nuno Espirito Santo’s arrival at White Hart Lane could see defender Matt Doherty go from being the Spurs forgotten man to the new teacher’s pet within a matter of weeks. Doherty enjoyed the best football of his career in the Premier League at Wolves under Nuno but things took a dramatic turn for the worse following his Molineux departure.
Now re-united with his former manager, there’s plenty of hope (and a fair bit of expectation) that Doherty can re-discover the form that saw him drafted in the first three rounds of previous Fantrax drafts. Nowadays you can get him in round eight and providing you already have a solid base including one good defender, I think it’s a pick worth making.
Watford – Josh King (Forward)
For those who like a quiet, barely acknowledged signing, Josh King’s move to Watford is as under the radar as they come. The Norwegian former Fantrax favourite was part of the most pointless signing of all time in the form of his move to Everton on loan last season and he will be hoping for (and expecting) a lot more game time at his new club.
Watford’s latest promotion was built on a solid foundation at the back, meaning that the number one priority for the transfer window was a goalscorer. The former Bournemouth hit man fit the bill perfectly and if he finds the form of his last full Premier League campaign he will prove to be a shrewd buy. I haven’t seen him feature in many mock drafts at any point so far, meaning he could be a steal for your draft team too.
West Ham United – Said Benrahma (Forward)
The Jesse Lingard rumours have died down recently, meaning there may be opportunity for the enigmatic Said Benrahma to continue his strong form from the end of last season. The Algerian winger is a menace and, on his day, unplayable. He possesses all the assets necessary to be a top Fantrax asset and if he gets himself 30 starts this season, his ADP of 141.71 will look absolutely ridiculous.
Benrahma is still in the punt category but he is a punt that I would have some confidence in. If you’re happy enough with your draft so far, get him in at the 10th round and be pleased with it. Jarrod Bowen is another who will be looking for a bounceback season and will fall in a lot of drafts this summer.
Wolves – Rayan Ait-Nouri (Defender)
The last player to make it in our Sleepers series is young Wolves wing back Rayan Ait-Nouri. His pre-season starts in a front three have led to plenty of Twitter chatter about him as a serious FPL this option. While I can’t see him continuing in his advanced role, Jonny Castro Otto’s injury should see plenty of game time for RAN under a manager who likes his full backs to attack.
We saw glimpses of Ait-Nouri’s attacking abilities last season, most notably when he smashed home on his full debut against Crystal Palace. He will probably be undrafted in a lot of leagues but you can do much worse than picking him up ready for the opener at Leicester and seeing where the season takes him, even if you do chose to bench him initially.
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